Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Read, James C" <K0434995 AT kingston.ac.uk>]

Another interesting account is the account in Genesis 18, where we are told 
that Yah appears to Abram amidst 
the big trees at Mamre. The account futher elucidates that Abram raises his 
eyes and sees three 'men'. In verse 
three he addresses them or one of them as YWHW.

This section is particularly interesting because verse 2 starts with 
WaYYi$$a). Is this a series of events?:
1) He sees Yah
2) He sees the men
3) He addresses them as Yah

or is it backing up a little and explaining how things happened?:

1) Yah appears to Abram in the sense that 3 men (messengers) visit him and 
Abram perceives that they are 
from Yah
2) Abram addresses them as YHWH because he knows they are his messengers


I think this example adequately shows how a too literal idea of subjects, 
objects and verbal sequence can cause 
the reader to grossly misunderstand the text.

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>From rosewalk AT concentric.net  Fri Aug 12 17:17:29 2005
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From: Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>
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Subject: [b-hebrew]   Face of God?
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OK but that would be Jacob's VISION - that he would only get by G-d's
permission, but that is not to say that G-d actually has a face

OBVIOUSLY, G-d  can appear however it/he/she chooses

But that is only in OUR consciousness -  which is limited by our
physical limitations - G-d is not limited.

Shoshanna



As for the face of God, if God created the whole
universe in
seven days as he claims in Genesis one, what's to stop
him
from appearing to Jacob in a human form? That is not
to
claim that God intrinsically has a human form (the
rest of
Tanakh argues against that) but that he is able to
appear
that way when he so chooses. And that Jacob recognized
that
he was dealing with God appearing to him in human
form.




I have heard, throughout the course of my life, the
many explanations about metaphoric interpretation,
mystical interpretation, and other such concepts. What
I am mostly focusing on these days, is what the plain
text says as it has been written. Here is another
verse that I was pondering:


Daniel 7

9 I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was
ancient of days did sit: his raiment was as white
snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his
throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof
burning fire.

Dave Washburn dwashbur at nyx.net
Fri Aug 12 15:15:35 EDT 2005

wrote:

See Genesis 18




Yes, this is also another one Dave. The text states
that it is the appearance of a man who has eyes/sight,
while verse one clearly says that YHWH appeared to
him. This is the way it has been translated by a
number of translators who are Jewish, Christian, as
well as secular.






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